For these two, check the entries in the FAQ about upload issues or "images don't display after upgrade" etc:
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_FAQ#When_I_try_to_upload_files_in_M....
Ah well I saw 1.5.1 and assumed it did not apply to me - silly me :) Fixed the problem thanks.
- This template no longer work - the image does not display
[[media:{{{1}}}|{{{2}}} (PDF)]] <span class="plainlinks">[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:image:{{{1}}}}}
https://information.ncs.mcgill.ca/ourdocs/images/d/da/Info_circle.png]</span>
Sounds like you're trying to use the old 'URL-to-image-does-inline-image' thing, which is off by default since several versions ago. Here's the guy you want to change:
/** Whether to allow inline image pointing to other websites */ $wgAllowExternalImages = false;
Yup that was it - of course is there a better way to do what is needed?
r